Sock for treatment of foot and leg wounds, methods of use and manufacture

Abstract

The Improved Sock is made of yarns knitted into a foot and calf, with graduated compression on an individual's foot from the foot to the calf. The yarns can include wool and alpaca fibers. A substantial proportion of wool and / or alpaca are on the inside of the sock so as to be in direct contact with the skin and wound. The Improved Sock provides absorption and wicking of inflammatory mediators, bacteria and biofilm and necrotic exudate from the foot and leg. The Improved Sock has AgNP shapes electrostatically bonded to the yarn. At least 30% of the mass of the AgNP shapes attached to the fibers have a shape selected from the group consisting of truncated triangular plates (a triangle with the corners rounded off), triangular prisms, discs and combinations of two or more of them. The Improved Sock functions as a unique wound dressing with the sock in direct contact with the wound.

Description

[0001]This application claims the benefit of Provisional Application Ser. No. 61 / 584,984 filed Jan. 10, 2012.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0002]Leg ulceration is the most prevalent chronic wound in Western countries, affecting about 1 to 2% of the adult population (Valencia I C, Falabella A, Kirsner R S, Eaglstein W H. Chronic venous insufficiency and venous leg ulceration. J Am Acad Dermatol 2001; 44: 401-21). The main causes of leg ulceration are venous hypertension, arterial insufficiency, and diabetes. Venous ulcers account for approximately 80% of all leg ulcers and are the result of venous hypertension. The current treatment for venous ulcers includes graduated compression support stockings or compression bandaging of the limb. Despite the standard of care of compression therapy, 50 to 70% of venous leg ulcers remain unhealed after 12 weeks of treatment and 54 to 78% of ulcers will reoccur (Abbade L P, Lastoria S. Venous ulcer:epidemiology, physiopathology, diagnosis and treatme...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The invention is a special method for treating wounds by using a sock made of wool and alpaca fibers. This sock can be easily placed on the wound and absorbs bacteria, inflammatory substances, and dead tissue from the leg and foot. It also protects against bacterial and fungal infections. This sock is comfortable, low-maintenance, and can be used at home by patients, reducing the need for multiple wound care products and visits to the doctor or nurse. The invention is a cost-effective and efficient solution for providing wound care.

Problems solved by technology

Current wound care products, including silver ointments and dressings, show no improvement in the healing rates of chronic venous or diabetic ulcers when used with compression therapy.

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